Our Family
by Jokul Frosti
Summary: Cloud has fallen pregnant, but there's one problem: who's the father, his best friend always at his side, or his growing-distant boyfriend? And who will pick up the pieces when Sephiroth leaves him for the family he made behind Cloud's back? [Shonen-Ai, MPreg, language; don't like, don't read.]


**I hit a writing slump; I wanted to write something new, but didn't know what, and then I remembered this idea that I came up with years ago. Over the course of time that I've been RP-ing with my friend JoshNeku, I've changed up my plot some, and added things.**

**Consider this my first fic since the release of ****Kingdom Hearts III****! Hope you enjoy. I only own the plot.**

* * *

Cloud shook as he looked at the pregnancy test, the _positive_ pregnancy test. He took three just to be sure that nothing was false, but all of them were positive, and the worse part was that he didn't know who the father was; he had a boyfriend named Sephiroth, but they hadn't really been spending time together lately, or in a few years actually. He also had a best friend from childhood named Squall who went by Leon, and Cloud had gone to him after getting into a bad argument. A _really _bad argument; the blond had feared that it was the end of their relationship, so he had gone to cry on Leon's shoulder, they had a few too many drinks, and slept together. A week later, Cloud and Sephiroth had make-up sex that only sparked false hope because Sephiroth was back to being distant in practically no time afterwards. Now he was pregnant, and he didn't know who the father was.

"Cloud? You've been in there for a while. Are you alright?"

His friend, Aerith. She was really nice, and mothering; she had gone with Cloud to buy the tests offering her support. She was the first to realize that something was wrong with him and pressed for an answer until Cloud told her everything; at first, she had sighed and lectured him for a few minutes, and then she suggested taking the tests to confirm.

He opened the door showing the test in his hand, "Three positive… I'm pregnant, Aerith…"

The woman hugged him as he started sobbing.

"Oh Cloud… I'll help you figure something out, but you need to tell Sephiroth and Leon about the baby. No matter whose it is, they deserve to know." She said rubbing his back.

Cloud nodded, "I know… But what if they both reject us?"

"Then Zack will castrate them and feed them their cock and balls."

He couldn't help it, he started laughing even though it sounded wet.

"You guys are the best. Thanks, Aerith." He said giving a watery smile as he wiped his eyes.

She smiled back, warm and comforting.

"You're welcome, Cloud."

**Check it out, a line. This is a line.**

It took three days, but Cloud finally found a time to tell Sephiroth; he decided that because they were boyfriends, Sephiroth had to be told first. He just hoped that one: Sephiroth wouldn't turn him away, and two: if he didn't turn Cloud away, the baby was his. But if Sephiroth did turn Cloud away, he hoped that Leon would take care of him, no matter what; the truth was, Cloud was starting to feel love for his friend. He would have told Sephiroth from the start after finding out about his pregnancy, but the guy hadn't been home, and Cloud didn't know where he was. He wouldn't even answer his phone.

Now, he was home, Cloud had Zack and Aerith present as well for moral support (and so Zack could follow through to his threat if things went bad.)

"What's going on Cloud? Why are you having a spur of the moment gathering?" the silveret asked.

Zack rolled his eyes with a huff, _'Asshole.'_

"I gotta use the can." He said leaving the room.

He didn't really have to use the bathroom, he just got easily ticked off by Cloud's boyfriend. As he walked down the hall, he noticed a door was left ajar; if he remembered correctly, that door led to Sephiroth's study, and no one was to go in. It was usually supposed to be locked; his curiosity got the better of him and he went inside…

"This is important, Sephiroth." Cloud said trying not to let his nerves get the better of him.

Sephiroth raised an eyebrow, "Important, how?"

The blond swallowed thickly and looked to Aerith who nodded encouragingly.

"I …took a few tests, and… I'm pregnant." He finally got out.

Sephiroth blinked trying to process what he had just been told then his expression became dark.

"Like hell I'll have anything to do with that bastard."

Cloud and Aerith gasped at the cold words.

"Sephiroth…" Cloud gasped out sounding heartbroken.

"How could you say something so cruel?" Aerith demanded putting her hands on her hips.

"Do you think I don't know, Cloud? Think that I don't know about the night you spent with Leonhart?"

The blond froze, _'How did he find out?!'_

"You must think I'm stupid. You wanted my attention so badly, and I gave it to you, but I am not going to have anything to do with that bastard, even if it is mine."

"I'm sure the fact that you already have three kids isn't a factor either, right?" Zack's voice put in.

The other three looked to see him holding up a picture frame holding a photo of triplet silverets that all looked like Sephiroth.

"By the looks of it, they're toddlers in this picture. So, how long have you been you cheating on Cloud? He's only done so once in the five years you've been together, and that's because you pushed him to. Cloud has been nothing but a good boyfriend. So, explain the kids."

Sephiroth glared at Zack.

"Fine then. My triplets are three, since you wish to know so badly. That picture was from their recent birthday."

Cloud felt his heart crack more than it already had, _'They're… Three years old…?'_

"Are you serious?! Have you been cheating on him since you started your relationship?!" Aerith raged.

"Hmph, no. I waited a year, once I became bored."

The blond's world shattered.

"Bored… You became bored. So, Cloud was only a plaything to you, you son of a bitch?!"

Zack stared at his girlfriend in shock; she never used foul language, but then she never got this mad before either.

"If you don't mind, I'll just go back to my family. I'll be back at the end of the week, and you had best be completely gone, Cloud." Sephiroth said nonchalantly as he left the house.

It was about five minutes after Sephiroth's car pulled off that Cloud broke down into loud, heartbreaking sobs that couldn't be muffled despite his face buried in his hands. Aerith was at his side immediately and hugged him to her.

"Zack, call Leon. Get him over here, now!"

"Right." He nodded pulling out his phone.

Not fifteen minutes later, Leon came to the house and was immediately at Cloud's side.

"What happened? Was this Sephiroth's doing?" He asked rubbing Cloud's back.

"Yeah, it was. You won't believe all the heartless things he said! Basically, it all came down to this." Zack said showing the scarred brunet the picture of Sephiroth's triplets.

"That bastard…" Leon growled.

Aerith looked at Cloud, "Want me to tell him?"

By now, Cloud's sobs had quieted to the occasional hiccup, but he still kept his face hidden; he nodded.

She looked at Leon, "He's pregnant, Leon. Sephiroth somehow found out about your one-night affair and said he wouldn't have anything to do with the baby. He doesn't care if the baby is his in the end."

"He said what? That scum!" He growled.

"Right? What's say you and I go after- "

"Zack. Cloud is more important right now." Aerith reminded.

Both turned their attention back to the silent blond; his face was still covered, and he shook slightly.

Leon's heart cried for his friend; the truth was he loved Cloud deeply, and only had his happiness in mind. He never trusted Sephiroth with Cloud's heart, but it was what his friend wanted, so he kept his true feelings to himself, even if he watched the blond's heart slowly erode away from pain and loneliness inflicted by Sephiroth. But now, with Cloud suffering, what could he do fix it? And the baby he's carrying…

"Wait… Hey, Cloud. Look at me." He prompted gently.

Cloud hesitated a minute before he looked at Leon; his eyes were broken, red, and puffy, and his face was tear-stained.

"I have an idea." The scarred brunet started.

He pulled a napkin from his pocket and gently cleaned Cloud's face.

"SeeD is sending me to Destiny Islands to take a permanent position on a base. Why don't you come along with me?"

"Huh…? Wh-why…?" Cloud asked hoarsely.

"Because you deserve a fresh start after today. We can …get married, so your mom won't flip when you tell her, we'll go to the islands, and I'll help raise the baby, mine or not." The brunet answered.

Cloud gasped.

'_He wants to …marry me? And raise the baby?'_

"B-but Leon…"

"It's okay. I want to." He smiled "You can count on me."

Aerith and Zack smiled at each other happy to see that Leon was so willing to do right by their friend.

"Cloud, you should agree!" Zack encouraged.

"Wha?" was the blond's eloquent response.

"He's right. You can't do this on your own, and Leon's willing to be there for you." Aerith added.

"Guys, it's his choice." Leon scolded lightly.

Cloud looked at his hands on his lap, his still flat belly that housed his unborn baby within sight as well; Aerith had a point, he needed help raising the child, and Leon was so willing to help because he genuinely cared. Sephiroth didn't care, that much was made clear. And maybe it was the sudden bout of self-consciousness, but he knew that he had to say yes to this, or he could fall into depression and hurt himself. That would hurt the baby, and the baby did nothing to deserve suffering, only existed; he couldn't do that.

"I'll go with you, Leon. Thank you for looking out for me." He said quietly.

Leon smiled and nodded, "I'll take care of you, I promise."

**Six Months Later…**

Destiny Islands was a beautiful place; the sun was bright and warm, the ocean was clear, clean, and soothing to listen to, and the people were so friendly.

The house SeeD had given to them when they came was a beachfront property, the house was two stories, had a wrap-around porch with an attached deck to the left of the back door that faced the water. It was a big house with a living room, kitchen and dinning room, a room Leon used for his office, and a full bathroom on the first floor, and the second floor had three more rooms and two full bathrooms; one room was the master with one of the full bathrooms attached, and another was set up for the baby. The last room was set up as a guest bedroom for the time being; the only ones to have used it so far were Zack and Aerith while they tried to find a place of their own since they didn't want to be too far from Cloud, and Cloud's mother after she learned about the marriage and baby.

Currently, Cloud was sitting on the porch rubbing with growing belly and feeling the baby kicking; he smiled feeling the movements of his and Leon's child. Yes, his and Leon's child; blood related or not, the baby would be Leon's because he was willing to put in the blood, sweat, and tears to help Cloud raise them. They didn't want to know the gender until the birth.

"Three more months, and then we can meet. Are you as excited as I am, sweetheart? I know Daddy is." He said smiling at his expanded stomach.

His smile grew as more kicks met his palm.

"You know, sweetheart, Daddy doesn't care if he's your real father or not. He wants to be the best father to you. We love him for that, don't we?"

More kicks to his hand was the response he received.

Indeed, Cloud came to terms with the fact that he was completely in love with his husband a month ago; at first, he thought he had gotten caught up in some "hero syndrome" effect simply because of what Leon was doing for him. But then, there were times Cloud would catch the brunet looking at him in a way that made the blond's heart skip then pound in a way that it never had with Sephiroth, and then there was the way Leon would hold him at night making him feel safe, wanted, and …Loved. He felt warmth with his husband's touch; when Leon held him, one arm around his shoulders or waist, and the other rubbing him arm or back, his touch soothing and comforting. The moments that really warmed his heart though were when Leon would lay on his growing belly and just talk to the baby, talking about random subjects or telling stories, and the look in his eyes as he did so was just so warm, full of love, excitement, and his thoughts for the future of their family. How could he not fall in love?

At first, it scared him, but after he talked to Aerith, he was convinced to try for a real relationship instead of just living in a marriage of convenience; he couldn't live his life sulking about the past when he had a promising chance of happiness right in his face! Besides, Leon deserved to have happiness too after practically sacrificing his life to help Cloud and be a father to a child that might not be his. He started with simple things: small, affectionate touches, gentle kisses to the brunet's face, anything to show him the feelings he had developed.

He heard the oven beep from inside the house and knew the dinner he was preparing for Leon was now ready; he stood up and went inside feeling excited about his plan for the evening, even if he was nervous as well. He had made a lobster-noodle casserole with buttermilk biscuits, all from scratch; it took all day. He went to get the ingredients as soon as Leon left for work and had been hard at work since only taking an actual break once he could get the biscuits in the oven; he had just pulled everything out and set the table when he heard the door open.

"I'm home!"

"In the dining room! Dinner's ready!"

Leon came in having already removed his uniform coat and boots.

"Hey. How are you feeling?" He asked giving a warm smile.

Cloud smiled back, and his face flushed, "We're fine, Leon. How was work today?"

"Like usual, students think they know everything until I give them pop quizzes." He smirked softly.

Leon was assigned to be a teacher to the children of other SeeD members since it was hard for them to adapt to public schools every time they had to move, especially because the learning system in each school district was different: they were either ahead or behind each other; being put in a classroom that kept the same system no matter what part of the world they were in really helped.

"Well, it's a good thing your students love you. I hope your hungry, because I made quite a bit, and not because of the baby." The blond said.

His husband looked at the food on the table and blushed when his stomach gave a loud growl.

"Heh, yeah. I actually skipped lunch today, so the extra is appreciated." He said sitting down.

"You skipped lunch _again_? Squall Leonhart, honestly." He sighed in exasperation.

Leon chuckled as he was served, "Careful Cloud, you're sounding like a devoted wife."

It was meant as a teasing remark, but it made Cloud pause still since it was true on Cloud's end. Not the wife part, but still… And Leon noticed it.

"Cloud, are you alright? You've been acting strange for a while." He said.

"Strange? Strange how?" He tried to play off.

Leon stood up and went around the table to his husband.

"At first, I thought it was hormonal imbalance. But it kept happening. You can talk to me, Cloud; did something happen a while ago while I was at work?"

Cloud looked up at the taller man seeing the concern in his eyes and feeling his heart pound; he swallowed thickly. He had to tell him sooner or later.

"Something did happen… It's not a bad thing, really. Well, I guess it's a matter of perspective."

He took a deep, slow breath, "Leon, I… I…"

He felt a hand on his cheek and a thumb brush under his eye; when had he closed them?

"You can tell me, Cloud. What happened?" Leon asked gently.

Cloud swallowed again and decided that his actions would speak louder than words; he tilted his face up leaning forward until his lips pressed against the others. He kept the action gentle and chaste hoping that what he'd been seeing was genuine and that Leon wouldn't push him away; they hadn't actually kissed since their wedding. Then he felt that touch, warm, protective, loving, and it had possessiveness this time; one hand was on the back of Cloud's head and an arm around his waist pressing their bodies together despite Cloud's six-month belly, and Leon was kissing him back with everything he had. The relief Cloud felt almost made his knees give out as it told him Leon felt the same for him and assured him that they could have a real relationship, an honest family, with _their_ child. From that moment on, Sephiroth no longer existed to them and never would again, even if the baby was his son…

They pulled away slowly, both their faces flushed, though Cloud's was a darker shade.

"Leon… I love you…" the blond said softly.

"Cloud…" he smiled "I've loved you for a long time."

Cloud smiled brightly, "Really? We can be a true family then?"

"Aren't we already?" Leon chuckled.

The baby kicked in Cloud's stomach getting Leon's attention making him chuckle again.

"Are you happy about this too, kiddo?" he asked feeling the kicks to his palm.

Cloud knew he was, and Leon looked just as so; this was the start of a new, fresh chapter.

"Ready to eat? Don't want your hard work to go to waste." Leon said.

"Yeah! I just hope it hasn't gotten cold."

Leon couldn't help but chuckle; his husband was just too adorable for his own good.

**Three Months Later…**

The classroom was quiet, except for the scratching of pencils on paper as students continued to write their in-class essays while Leon graded tests; his students and coworkers were impressed with his ability to stay focused on work when his husband was ready to pop.

"Um, Commander Leonhart?"

Leon looked up seeing one of his female students with her essay ready to hand in.

"Done already?"

"Yes, sir. Um, I was wondering. Has your baby been born?" she asked.

"Oh, no. I would have been told." He answered taking the paper.

Just as he said that, two SeeD soldiers came in; one of them was Leon's friend, Zell Dintch, and their superior.

"Leonhart, Dintch will be looking after your classes the rest of the day. Dr. Gainsborough called about your husband going into labor."

He shot up from his chair slamming his hands on his desk, "What?!"

His students gasped and started chattering excitedly.

"Congrats man! Bring pics of the baby!" Zell said pushing the brunet to the door.

Leon was in a bit of a daze until he was across the threshold of the door then he snapped out of it and ran to his car; Cloud was in labor! The baby was finally coming!

He drove like mad; how he didn't get pulled over by even a cop on a bicycle, was a miracle.

He reached Destiny Memorial and ran straight to the maternity ward where Zack and Aerith were waiting for him; Aerith got her medical degree back in Radiant Garden, and it got her a job on the Islands when they came along with the newlyweds. She put herself in charge of Cloud and the baby's care, and because she was a fierce force to be reckoned with, so no one even tried to defy her.

"Oh, Leon! Finally." Zack waved.

"Where's Cloud?" He asked getting to the couple.

"He's being monitored by some nurses. He's dilating pretty fast, so his labor shouldn't last too long. You have to change into some scrubs to be in there with him right now." Aerith said.

She led him over to a rack of disposable scrubs and pulled off one she had set aside for him ahead of time; Leon pulled off his jacket and pulled on the scrubs and the gloves the woman handed him then followed Aerith to Cloud's room.

Cloud was on the bed panting and his face was screwed up in pain, obviously having a contraction, his face was red and sweating, and he was gripping the sheets to the point of tearing; it tore at Leon's heart to see his husband suffering like this, but it was an unfortunate necessity to bring their child into the world.

"L-Leon…"

"Right here, Cloud. It'll be alright, you just have to endure this for a while, okay?" The brunet said taking a pale hand and allowing it to crush his own.

One of the nurses turned to Aerith, "Dr. Gainsborough, it looks like he only needs about three to five hours more."

"Already? This doesn't happen often. Unless…"

She gave Cloud a sharp look that made the blond squeak.

"Cloud, when exactly did your contractions start? Your progress is faster than normal for labor."

He swallowed thickly, "Um… Well, uh… Yesterday evening."

She took a deep, slow breath, "So, you've been in labor for over twelve hours. Am I correct in believing that?"

Cloud whimpered, "Aerith, please…"

"Am. I. Correct?"

"Yes…"

Both brunets looked at him in a scolding manner.

"That explains why your water broke so quickly." Aerith said.

"Why didn't you tell me, Cloud?" Leon asked.

"I didn't want to worry you…" Cloud answered timidly.

"_This_ makes me worry." The older man said "You've basically been in pain since last night and I didn't know. What if something went wrong? It would be too late by now."

Aerith smacked the back of Leon's head.

"He's fine, we checked. Now don't stress him out."

Leon winced, "Sorry, Aer. Sorry babe."

All they could do was wait now. Cloud still had some time before he had to push the baby out, but that didn't mean that while the contractions only got closer, he wouldn't make everyone's lives hell. Oh, yes, they were all suffering as Cloud put the wrath of a pregnant woman to shame; he threatened to castrate Leon, burn off Aerith's braid, called the nurses old bats, and so on, and so on, only to apologize then do it all over again. But finally, the time to start pushing came, and it only took Cloud about eight pushes before the baby finally came out screaming and crying.

"It's a boy!"

Aerith looked at the squalling baby carefully as she took him to be cleaned, weighed, and measured, and she could already tell whose son he was.

"Aerith…?" Cloud called.

"Hold on a bit."

She put a diaper on the newborn and wrapped him in a blue blanket then took him over to the new parents, so they could see the boy themselves, and the look on Cloud's face was exactly what she expected it would be: shocked and scared. The baby was pale, and what little hair he had was silver; he was Sephiroth's, and Cloud had always held a long-standing fear that Leon would reject the baby if it wasn't his after all, and then what would happen?

But then came the shock on Leon's part when he came over to Aerith and took the still crying child gently into his arms looking as if he were looking at some divine being.

"Cloud… He's beautiful…" he said breathlessly.

"What? Really, Leon?" Cloud asked.

"Look at him."

He brought the baby over passing him to Cloud so he could hold their son; Cloud held him against his chest and the little one stopped crying at hearing the familiar heartbeat. Cloud studied baby seeing how his face was kind of scrunched up and slightly red, how his tiny mouth was working as if he were sucking on something; Leon was right, he was beautiful.

"He's perfect, Leon…" He said starting to cry.

Aerith sighed with relief at the sight of their happiness now that the baby was born.

"Thank goodness. Cloud was afraid you wouldn't want anything to do with the baby if it turned out to be Sephiroth's." She said picking up the clipboard with the birth certificate.

"Sephiroth is not his father." Leon said fiercely.

Aerith cleared her throat, "Um, Leon-"

"That inconsiderate, cheating bastard is no more than sperm donor. He wants nothing to do with Cloud, or this gift, so he doesn't deserve to even be called a father. I'm willing to put in the blood, sweat, and tears to make sure they're both happy; Cloud is my husband, and this is _our_ son."

While Cloud, still running off the pain of childbirth and hormones, smiled with teary eyes, Aerith was absolutely shocked that Leon was so devoted to being a father to a child he was in no way related to. It made her jealous that Cloud married such a great man; not that Zack wasn't amazing in his own right, but still, it's rare to get that level of commitment in a relationship.

Zack came in holding up a manila folder, "Got the adoption forms and left the copies at their house, babe. Is the baby here? Do we need them?"

"Yes, Zack, to both. It's a boy, and he's Sephiroth's. In DNA only." Aerith said adding that last bit quickly before Leon could snap otherwise.

"I wanna see!" Zack cheered going over to Cloud's other side.

He saw the baby, expecting to immediately be angry that he was the son of the asshole who tossed his friend aside like trash, but the boy was just so cute staring up at him with those big eyes, he couldn't hold anything against him.

"What's his name? Can I be the godfather?" he asked using his puppy eyes.

Cloud and Leon looked at each other before chuckling at their friend's behavior.

Aerith shook her head fondly at her boyfriend's childish begging as she started filling in the necessary information on the birth certificate she was still holding; she would get their signatures once all the other information was done.

"What are you going to name him?" she asked.

"There was only one name we agreed on that would work for a boy and a girl, since we waited to find out what the baby would be. Riku; his name is Riku Dawn Leonhart." Cloud said nuzzling his son's head.

Leon looked at Cloud curiously, "Why Dawn as a middle name?"

The blond smiled at him tiredly, "Because he's the new dawn on our lives. I thought it would be fitting."

The older man thought about it and felt it made sense, and plus it had a nice ring; he smiled and nodded.

Aerith wrote in the name and gave the clipboard to Leon first for him to sign, and he held it for Cloud to sign before handing it back to the brunette doctor for her to file with the adoption forms; records would recognize Leon as Riku's legal father now. What Cloud didn't know was that Zack had talked to an attorney to see about getting Sephiroth to give up his parental rights while Cloud was still pregnant in the event that Riku was his so Leon could adopt him right away; he was so quick to sign away his rights that if Cloud knew, it would have opened still healing wounds in his heart. But what's done is done, and the couple could happily live their lives with their new baby…

**Check it out, a line. This is a line.**

The years had been kind to the Leonharts; five years after Riku had been born, Cloud and Leon had another son they named Terra. He looked more like Leon with his brown hair and cobalt eyes, and he was very close to Riku; at fifteen, he was as tall as his older brother, and both had nicely toned bodies that made girls, and some guys drool over them. Three years after Terra came their daughter, Naminé; she took after Cloud with her blue eyes and blonde hair, and her brothers were very protective of her.

Ten years after they had married, Cloud and Leon decided to renew their wedding vows with a full ceremony and reception like a real wedding; it was Leon's idea as he believed his husband deserved a proper celebration. Aerith did all the planning from the food, to the decorations, to the music, to the clothes; she slapped Zack when he suggested putting their friend in a wedding dress, whether from stress or because it was a stupid idea, he didn't know. In the end, everything had gone wonderfully; their guests consisted of all their friends, new and old, Riku, Terra, and Aerith and Zack's daughter, Olette were part of the ceremony, and Cloud finally felt he had put his history with his ex in the past to be forgotten, where it belonged.

Zack and Aerith had three children; Olette had brown hair and green eyes just like her mother, and was seventeen, their son Irvine was fourteen with brown hair and blue eyes making him the perfect mix of his parents, and their youngest was named Xion, she took after Zack with her black hair and blue eyes, and was Naminé's age as well as her best friend.

Riku learned about his biological father when he was eight, when he had to do a family tree project at the start of third grade; the teacher, having yet to meet Leon and Cloud, took one look at the pictures he had brought in and asked if Riku knew who his real father was, and if he had a picture to include. Had it not been for the picture of an exhausted Cloud holding a newborn Riku, the teacher would have assumed the boy had been adopted by both his parents. But Riku insisted Leon was his real father until his teacher explained that because he had not one feature from Leon, the man was not his real father, and that had upset Riku so much Cloud had to pull him out of school, but not before explaining to the teacher that his ex wanted nothing to do with his son after Cloud had told him about the pregnancy and Riku had grown up believing Leon was his only father. The blond had called Leon as soon as they had gotten home, and his husband left work immediately.

They both sat Riku down and explained to him carefully about Sephiroth; Riku was a smart boy, and he understood that he had been tossed aside for three older brothers and another man before he was even born and had held great resentment towards Sephiroth and the family he chose ever since that day. Growing up, Riku was very close to Leon, and that talk had only made them closer.

_**20 Years Later…**_

It was summer vacation for students on Destiny Islands, and Riku was getting ready to enjoy the day with his boyfriend of five years, Sora; they were going to spend the day at the beach with some of their friends.

At nine-teen, going on twenty, Riku studying criminal justice at the local university wanting to be part of Destiny Island's fairly new police force that was like a cross between SWAT and military Special Ops. Leon worked out with him and Terra using the exercises he learned in SeeD, so the physical aspects the scouts looked for wouldn't be a problem, but Sora worried about his career choice because of the risk to his life. Riku was stubborn though, and he loved Sora so much that everyone pretty much doubted he would let himself die as long as they were together.

"Riku! Sora's here!" Cloud called from downstairs.

"I'm coming!" Riku called back.

He slipped into his flipflops and grabbed his backpack then went down to the living room seeing his boyfriend talking to his mother and sister; Terra must have already left to meet his own boyfriend in town.

Sora was shorter than Riku by about a head and a half, only coming up to the silveret's chest; he had spiky, brown hair, and blue eyes like the sea. The two had met in middle school; Sora was a year younger, but he was smart and was able to skip a grade to be in Riku's class, and they became friends instantly. Halfway through high school, they admitted to having feelings for each other, and had been dating since; a lot of girls and guys were jealous of Sora for the longest time with having their own hopes of being on Riku's arm, but he wanted Sora. He was one of the few people who didn't drool over him while imagining gods knew what.

When he saw Riku come in, he smiled his megawatt smile that always caused the older teen's heart to skip.

"Hi, Riku! Are you ready to go?" he asked.

"Yeah, babe." Riku nodded kissing his forehead.

"Riku, why can't I go with you?" Naminé pouted.

"Because this is only for grown-up boys and girls. If you want though, we can take you to Xion's so you won't be bored. How's that sound?" he told his sister.

The little blonde instantly brightened and turned to Cloud, "May I, Mom? Please?"

Cloud shook his head fondly at his children.

"Alright. Let me call Aerith and see if it's okay with them." He said going to get his phone to call his friend.

Once it was cleared that Naminé could go to see Xion, Riku and Sora waited for her to get what she wanted to take, along with anything she would need in case she was invited to sleepover, and then they headed out. Zack and Aerith's house was on the way to the beach anyway, so Riku and Sora didn't mind taking Naminé before going to see their friends, and Sora loved Naminé to death anyway; he spoiled her more that her grandparents did in all honesty.

"We'll come get you on the way home later if you're still here, 'kay Nami?" Riku said.

"Okay, big brother." She said hugging them both.

"You two have fun! And no drinking!" Zack joked at the end.

"Zack." Riku rolled his eyes as he left with Sora.

They got to the beach seeing that their party was already starting; among their group was Olette, her boyfriend Pence, their mutual friends Hayner and Roxas, their respective boyfriends, Seifer and Axel, music and water nut, Demyx, and his bookworm boyfriend, Zexion. They'd been friends for the longest time even though their personalities totally clashed with each other; Pence, Olette, Riku, Roxas, and Zexion were the level-headed ones, Sora and Demyx were hyper little buggers, and Axel, Seifer, and Hayner were hot-headed. But their friendship was stronger than anyone could believe.

"Hey, Riku. You got family visiting?" Seifer asked at some point in the party.

"What the hell do you mean by that?" Riku glared at him.

The scarred blond pointed down the beach getting everyone's attention, and they saw three silverets walking their way. The tallest one's hair was cut short and swept back with a curl, and sideburns, middle one was smaller in height and had a feminine build, and his hair was almost to his shoulders with his bangs covering almost half his face, and the last was slightly taller than the middle one with a toned, yet slightly feminine build, and his hair was almost to his waist. They had cat-like green eyes and looked to be triplets.

"Hey, you with the silver hair! We have a question for you!" the shortest one said.

Riku clenched his fists noticing whose sons they were.

"And what exactly do you want with me?" he asked trying to hold back his hostility.

"Do you know a man named Sephiroth Crescent?" the long-haired one asked.

Sora and the rest of their group froze; they knew about Riku's resentment towards his biological father, and they knew it was a beyond terrible move to mention the man, and these three were just asking for trouble by bringing up his mother's ex.

"Yes, I do. And that bastard can rot in hell along with your damn mother!" he snapped.

"Hey, you son of a bitch!"

The big guy was about to jump Riku only to get held back by the other two while Sora pulled his boyfriend away.

"Guys, I'm taking Riku home! This day took a bad turn!"

"You do that." Axel nodded.

"Hey, get back here!"

"Loz, stop it!"

"This is not what we wanted to do when we saw him!"

Sora just kept leading Riku away while trying to calm him down.

"Riku, just let it go…"

"Sora, if _his _sons are here, that means _he's_ here! Along with that whore he chose over my mother!"

Sora stepped around in front of him halting them completely, "I know, I know. But this island is fairly big, so you likely won't have to deal with them. Now, calm down, please."

The silveret took a few deep breaths counting down from ten; Sora was right, there was no chance he would run into them here. This was another reason he loved Sora, he knew just how to calm Riku down.

"Thanks, babe. I would have lost it long time ago without you." He smiled.

Sora hugged him.

"I'm glad you admit it." He said with a smirk.

"Oh, you are gonna get it for that!" Riku threatened starting to tickle the teen.

Sora squealed with laughter and struggled to escape his boyfriend's torturous fingers.

"St-stooooop! I-I-I c-can't breeeeeaaaathe!" Sora begged as he gasped for breath.

Riku just laughed and continued to tickle the other to the ground before he finally stopped to let Sora breathe; Sora's face was red and streaked with tears from all his laughing as he gasped for breath. His stomach and sides hurt, and he was afraid to move; damn that Riku…

"Here, Sora."

A bottle entered his sight and he looked up seeing Riku holding out to him; Sora figured that he was so focused on collecting himself, he didn't notice Riku when into a nearby store and bought him some water.

"Thank you, Riku." He smiled sitting up carefully and taking the water bottle.

He took slow sips feeling the pain in his torso receding.

"Better?" Riku asked helping him stand up.

"Yeah, thanks. You make me suffer, but you make me feel better too." The brunet smiled and kissed the other.

They continued on to Riku's house, the tension from the beach completely gone now, and they filled the silence with soft chatter of random things, like school, their love lives, Axel's latest screw-up with Roxas that only pissed off the blond enough to be huffy for about an hour. It seemed that nothing could smog the light air around them, until they got close enough to Riku's house that they could see who was at the door talking to his mother; there was a tall man with long, silver hair that Riku immediately recognized, and it pissed him off far more than at the beach…

"You need to get off my property." Cloud said sternly.

"Cloud, I have a right to see him." Sephiroth argued.

"First of all… First of all, you son of a bitch, you gave up any and all rights you had to him the second you threw us aside for your side dish and three brussel sprouts! Second, why are you just now, when he is almost twenty, do you decide you want to see _my_ son?" Cloud demanded.

"Look, Cloud, I made a mistake- AAH!"

Riku had grabbed Sephiroth by his hair and pulled him away from Cloud right onto his ass.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing here?!"

"Riku, stop!" Sora exclaimed trying to push his boyfriend back towards Cloud.

Sephiroth shook off the sudden dizziness that the manual fall produced then he looked up at his assailant only to gasp at sight of the silveret that he knew to be the son he rejected twenty years ago; the coloring was his, but the face was Cloud.

"Oh my god…" he gasped standing up slowly as he stared at Riku.

Noticing that he was being eyed by his father, though he loathed to acknowledge that truth, and it pissed him off to high heaven.

"Keep your eyes to yourself, or I'll make sure you crack your skull." He growled.

"Riku! Don't threaten him, he'll sue us!" Cloud said pulling him to the house.

"No, no. I… I won't. Your name is Riku?"

"Why do you care?!" Riku snapped almost lunging at him had it not been for his mother and boyfriend.

"Sora, take him inside and get him to calm down, please." Cloud pleaded.

The brunet nodded and pulled Riku into the house; Cloud sighed and turned to Sephiroth.

"You need to leave. Now. And don't come back. Riku wants nothing to do with you, and I was done with you completely before mine and _Leon's_ son was born."

"Cloud, I deserve to see him."

"You _deserve_ nothing! You threw me away long before your sons were planted in your lover!"

Sephiroth opened his mouth to say otherwise, but he realized that Cloud was right. They were a couple for five years, and he started cheating on Cloud with his old friend, Genesis a year in; he deserved nothing when it came to Riku.

"Now, get off my property before my husband gets home, and you see where Riku gets his aggression."

Knowing he was beat, Sephiroth had no choice but to leave before Riku decided to come back out and do who knew what. He also didn't want to find out what Leonhart would do seeing as he must have been the most pissed about what he did to Cloud.

Said blond went back into the house and went to the living room finding Riku and Sora sitting on the couch, Sora was pressed against Riku's side acting as his rock; this was a lot in little time.

"Sweetheart…"

Riku looked up and stood going over to Cloud; his mother hugged him pulling his head down onto his own shoulder immediately and felt the tears. Riku was nineteen, 6 feet tall (4 inches taller than him, dammit), wanting to be an officer of the law, and yet he still needed to cry on his mother's shoulder when things became too much.

"It'll be alright, Riku. Your father and I won't let him near you. He's nothing to us but a sperm donor, and I hate that without him, Leon and I wouldn't have you. But that's the only tie he has to you. Your strongest ties are you me, Leon, your brother and sister, your friends, and Sora. These are the ties that matter."

Sora chose that moment to press against Riku's back wrapping his arms around his boyfriend's waist and the silveret grasped his hand in return, and that's the scene Leon walked in on.

"Okay, something obviously happened… What was it?" he asked going over to them.

Cloud looked over at his husband letting the fear, anger, and old, long buried pain show in his eyes.

"Sephiroth was just here."

* * *

**TBC...**


End file.
